Bowling-alley-pin spotter.



12,2 3. PATENTED PEB.13 1906. M 8 5 0. BASTIAN.

BOWLING ALLEY PIN SPOTTER.

APPLICATION FILED D30 27. 1904.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

h. 7 Main.

f/allllllllllfllllllll mummunnmIWMI/I c. BASTIAN. BOWLING ALLEY PIN SPOT'I'ER.

APPLICATION FILED B12037, 1904.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENTED FEB. 13, 1906.-

' IE STAS.

ATENT nron.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1906.

Application filed December 27, 1904- Sorial No. 238,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that '1, CHARLES L. BASTIAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bowling-Alley Pin Spotters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bowling-alley-pin spotters and its object is to facilitate the setting-up operation and to spot the pins mechanically in correct position on the spots on the alley-bed.

Further objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus of this character which shall be simple in construction, light in weight, and easily operated, which will not injure the alley-bed, and which can be used even if some pinsremain standing on the alley-bed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one manner of embodying the invention, Figure 1 shows the apparatusin elevated position above the alley-bed. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing the positioning devices for one pin. Fig. 3 is a similar detail sectional view showing the apparatus at rest on the alley-bed and the positioning-shoe s spotting a pin. Fig.4 is a detail sectional view of another form in which the guide-blocks for the shoes are omitted. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing one of the guides at the rear of the spotter. Fig. 6 shows the apparatus in lowered position, butnot resting on the alley-bed, and the raising means. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the spotter, showing the guide-rods in section.

The spotter is preferably constructed in triangular shape to correspond with the arrangement of the pins, and it comprises the top plate 10yand bottom plate 11, which are provided with registering openings 10 11 to receive the ins. Sleeves 12 are suit.- ably fastened to the top plate 10, and guiderods 13 are connected at their lower ends to the bottom plate and extend upward through said sleeves to the top plate and through one or more guides 14, suitably mounted at the "sides of the alley.

Two or more positioning-shoes 15 areoperatively arranged beneath the topplate and around each of the pin-openin s therein, and the faces of these shoes are pre erably shaped to fit, more or less, the body of the pin, as shown in Fig. 3. These shoes can be pivotally suspended at 15 from the top plate, and their lower ends 16 are rounded, so that they will slide easily thereon and swing into closed position to receive the pin when they engage the bottom plate. .I prefer to provide blocks 17 on the bottom plate with inclined faces 18, which are engaged by the heels 19 of the shoes and which com el the inward move: ment of' the shoes as t e latter move downward against the bottom plate. The blocks, which form guides for the shoes, may be dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 4, and the shoes caused to move inwardly solely by the engagement of their rounded ends with the bottom plate.

The apparatus can be raised in any suitable manner, and in Fig. 6 I have shown ropes 20 attached to the spotter and passing over pulleys 27, fastened to the ceiling 28 and connected at their ends to a counterweight 29, which assists in raising-the spotter and prevents it fromdescending too quickly. When the apparatus is elevated, the bottom plate is suspended below the positioningshoes, Figs. 2 and 4, and this relativeposition of the bottom plate to the shoes is maintained by adjustable locking-collars 2] on the uide-rods 13 above the top'plate.

' T e apparatus may be adjusted so that the bottom plate will engage andrest upon the alley-bed, which then forms a support for the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 3; but if it is not desired that the apparatus shall so engage the alley-bed the nuts 23 may be screwed down on the rods 13, Fig. 1, so that the apparatus will be suspended above the alley-bed when in lowered position by the nuts 23,resting upon the guides 14. Any other stops servin the purpose of the nuts 23 maybe employe and likewise any other means may be used for accomplishing the purpose of the adjustable locking-collars 21 and the sleeves 12.

To protect the positioning devices from balls accidentally thrown while the apparatus is in lowered position, I prefer to provide the apparatus with sides 24, which are fastened to the top plate. I also prefer to provide one or more guides 25 at the back of the apparatus, which are arranged to enter sock ets 26 in the alley-bed or in the pit back of the bed, these guides and sockets being preferably of triangular shape, as shown in Fig. 5.

The 0 erationof my improved spotter will be readi y understood. When some or all of the pins have been removed from the alleybed, the spotter will be lowered until it comes to rest u on or just above the alley-bed, as

previousy described. When the bottom.

plate comes to rest, the top plate will continue its downward movement until the shoes have moved inwardly from the open position shown in Fig. 2 to closed position, (shown 'in Fig. 3,) at which time they are-ready to receive and spot the pins.- The pins are then thrown into the openings, and after they have all been so arrangedthe spotter is raised to its ated by an receive the pins.

elevated position. (Shown in Fig. 1.) When the spotterstarts to move upward, the shoes will open by gravity and clear the pins without shaking or moving them from the spots on the alleyebed. The apparatus will be constructed and mounted for operation so that the ositioning devices will operate automatical y to position the pins correctly upon the spots onthe alley-bed and leave them in such position when the spotter is elevated.

My improved spotter is simple in construction, light in weight, and can be easily operpin-boy. Its use relieves the in-bo of t e necessity forspotting the pins, is on y duty being to raise and lower the spotter and throw the pins into the spotter when in lowered position. This enables setting and spotting of the pins to be accomplished very uickly, and as the ins are mechanically an correctl spotte in the first. instance the game can e played without the usual delay and annoyance causedby pinboys working slowly and incorrectly spotting the pins. Besides facilitating the setting-up.

operation my invention is articularly valua le because it insures a solutely correct s otting of the pins, and thus eliminates all e ance of the pins being purposely spotted incorrectly. 'After the pins are spotted, the spotter is elevatedand the player has an uno structed view of the pins, and the pin-boy can step to ,one side and avoid the thrown ball and -the'pins which may be knocked down. As the positioning devices are nor mally open'and do not close-until the bottom plate is brought to rest,'it does not matter if' some lns remain in upright position on the alley ed,'for the spotter can be lowered upon the upright pins if the up er ends thereof will enter the openings in the ottom plate. The collars 21 serve to lock the top and bottom plates together, so that the bottom plate will move upward with the top plate when the spotter. is raised. Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, normally open movable positioning devices, and means-forming part of the movable spotter and normally out of operative engagement with said devices and movable relatively theretofor engaging and moving said devices into closed position to 2. A vertically-movable pin-spotter for Biases bowling-alleys, comprising movable positioning devices constructedto open by gravity when the s otter is raised, and means forming part 0 the movable spotter for closing said devices to receive the pins, said devices and means being normally out of operative engagement and said means being adapted to engage and move the devices into closed position when the spotter is lowered to receive the pins.

3. A verticallymovable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, embodying movable positioning devices, and means forming part of the movable spotter and located beneath said de vices and normally out of operative engage ment therewith for moving them into closed position to receive the pins.

4. A vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, com rising movable ositioning devices, and a ate beneath sai devices and movable relatively thereto for moving them into closed osition to receive the pins.

5. In a vertica ly-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, normally open'pivoted positioning devices, and means forming part of the movable spotter and normally out of op-' 'erative engagement with said devices and movable relatively thereto for engaging and swinging said devices into closed position to receive the pins.

6. A vertically movable pin spotter for bowling-alleys, embodying pivoted ositioning devices, "and means beneath sai devices and normally out of operative en agement therewith and movable relatively t ereto for engaging and swinging tion to receive the pins.

7. A vertically movable pin spotter for bowling-alleys,

comlprising' pivoted ositioning devices, and a p them into closed position to receive the pins.

8. A verticallymovable pin spotter for bowling-alleys, embodying movable positioning devices, means for supportin said devices, and means normally out o operative engagement with said ositionin' devices and movable relatively-t ereto an adapted .to engage and move said devices into closed to plate, one of sald plates being movable re ative tothe other, and movable positioning'devices suspended from the to plate and adapted to engage the bottom p ate and be them into closed posi-- ate beneath sai devices. and movable relatively thereto for moving.

moved tnereby into closed position to receive the pins.

11.- In a vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, the combination of a bottom plate, a top plate, a fixed stop for limiting the ownward movement of the bottom plate, and movable positioning devices carried by the to plate and adapted to engage the bottom p ate and be moved thereby into closed position to receive the pins.

12. In a vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, the combination of two plates spaced apart one above the other and provided with openings to receive the pins, one of said plates being movable relative to the other, and normally open movable ositioning devices arranged between said p ates and adapted to be moved to closed position during the continued downward movement of said relatively movable plate by engagement with the other plate after it has come to rest.

13. In a vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, the combination of two members spaced apart one above the other, and movable toward and from each other and provided with openings to receive the pins, normally open movable positioning devices suspended from the under side of the top member and adapted to engage. the bottom member, and a fixed .stop for limiting the downward movement of the bottom member.

14. In a vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, the combination of two members spaced apart one above the other and movable toward and from each other and provided with openings to receive the pins, normally 0 en movable positioning devices suspended Irom the under side or the top member, and guides on the bottom member arranged to be engaged by the positioning devices when said members move towar each other.

15. In a vertically-movable pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, the combination of two members spaced apart one above the other and movable toward and from each other and provided with openings to receive the pins, normally open movable positionin devices suspended from the under side 0 the top member and adapted to engage the bottom member, guides on the bottom member beneath the ositionin devices, and a fixed stop for limlting the ownward movement of the bottom member.

16. In a pin-spotter for bowling-alleys, the combination of a vertically-movable plate, rods connected to said plate and guided at the sides of the alley, devices for adjustin the downward movement of said plate, and movable positioning devices sup orted above said plate and movable vertica 1y with and adapted to enga esaid plate.

17. A vertical ymovable pinspotter for bowling-alleys, comprising movable positioning devices constructed to open by gravity when the spotter is raised, means for raising the spotter to clear the pins, and a single means forming part of the movable s otter and normally out of engagement witli said positioning devices for simultaneously engagin and moving all of said devices into close position to receive the pins when the spotter is lowered.

CHARLES L. BASTIAN.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. BELT, M. A. KIDDIE. 

